A sombre mood engulfed Chesongoch, Kerio Valley in Elgeyo Marakwet County on Friday as hundreds of mourners gathered at the St Maurus Academy to bury 31 people who perished in the November 1, 2025, landslides that hit more than four villages.
The caskets bearing the remains had been lined up at the institution’s grounds where the requiem mass was held, just adjacent to a mausoleum where they were later interred.
During the burial service, calls to resettle the affected families living in the hanging escarpments dominated the speeches by residents and local leaders, who termed it a mitigation to avert tragedies that has been reported in Kerio Valley over the years.
While presiding over the requiem mass, Bishop Dominic Kimengich of the Eldoret Catholic Diocese raised concerns that the affected families had resorted to live in the uninhabitable escarpments because of insecurity, and that since normalcy had returned in the restive region, there was need to look for an alternative land to resettle them in a good place.
“The reason why people in this resorted to live in the escarpments was because of the rampant bandit attacks and stock theft that had marred the region for decades. There is a need to restore sanity in the area once and for all so that people don’t have to go and risk their lives by ploughing along the hanging valleys,” said Bishop Kimengich.
He claimed that there is arable land along Kerio River but locals fear settling in the area due to fear for their lives.
Since people settled on the hanging valleys, he said, there were a lot of human activities that led to land degradation and poor land management that led to mass wasting.
“We have to find a lasting solution because the November 1 landslides is not the first one to happen in this area. A few years ago, another one of such a magnitude happened in Liter and Chesegon areas, leading to loss of lives and livelihoods. We need a lasting solution for this menace, among them is conserving the environment and people settling and ploughing in appropriate places,” said the Bishop.
Interior Cabinet Secretary Kipchumba Murkomen, who also attended the burial service, promised that the State will assist the affected families rebuild their lives.
“We have enough food aid and even some building materials have been purchased. We also have money that will help reconstruct houses for those displaced people. If possible, the locals should choose one area so that we build affordable houses for them and we reserve another part of the land for farming,” said Mr Murkomen.
Relatives and other mourners during a burial of 31 people killed by mudslides at Chesongoch in Kerio Valley, Elgeyo Marakwet County. Bishop Dominic Kimengich of Eldoret Catholic Diocese presided over the mass.
Photo credit: Jared Nyataya | Nation Media Group
He appealed to the locals to ensure that those getting aid are the right beneficiaries and the list should be verified by government officials.
“Those who will get land compensation or funds, food aid or any other assistance should be those who were affected directly in the tragedy,” he added.
According to the CS, those who lost their kin will each be given Sh200,000, while those who sustained injuries will get a compensation of Sh150,000.
Area MP Kangogo Bowen also blamed insecurity as the main challenge that made locals move up the hills and called on the state to carry out land demarcation and issue locals with title deeds so that they can move to the valley.
“We also need to resettle the people in the hanging valleys once and for all. We have been delving on this matter only when a disaster strikes and I remember it was a matter of discussion when the same tragedy hit Kaben some years back. As we speak, those people are yet to be resettled as promised, more than a decade down the line. We need to address the issue of people living in the escarpment,” said Mr Bowen.
Bishop Dominic Kimengich of Eldoret Catholic Diocese during a burial mass for the 31 people killed by mudslides at Chesongoch in Kerio Valley, Elgeyo Marakwet County early this month, held at St Maurus Academy Chesongoch on November 21, 2025. Bodies of eight other victims were buried on Wednesday.
Photo credit: Jared Nyataya | Nation Media Group
Baringo North MP Joseph Makilap also claimed that following the recent and past incidences of landslides in Kerio Valley, what should be of importance is the solutions to the perennial menace.
“Landslides have hit Kerio Valley several times, over the years and the elephant in the house is what should we do so that we stop this phenomenon? People were pushed by insecurity in the valley and moved to the escarpments. There must be a solution for people living in those areas, including resettlement,” said Mr Makilap.
Elgeyo Marakwet Senator William Kisang also said the county has been worst hit by landslides for more than 30 years and there is need to address the issues that are not right, including poor land management and degradation.
“After we have laid to rest those who perished in the recent landslides, we need to resettle the affected families in appropriate areas,” said Senator Kisang.
His Uasin Gishu counterpart Jackson Mandago also appealed to the State to provide an alternative land to the affected families and help them rebuild their lives.
“We should not gamble with the lives of the people. As much as we value conservation, let the people living in these risky areas be resettled in those areas occupied by the forests and the trees be planted here instead. These hanging valleys are just a ticking time bomb,” said Mr Mandago.
